The Fearless Prince and His Faithful Hound
by RequitedLove
Summary: This story takes place after Louisa's father visits Portwenn. "Once upon a time..."
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Doc Martin and recognizable storylines belong to Buffalo Pictures.

**The Fearless Prince and His Faithful Hound - Chapter 1**

**Monday**

Martin marched down Manor Road with one mission in mind. Pauline had forgotten part of his supplies at the pharmacy, and he couldn't start seeing patients in the morning if he didn't pick up the proper sized gloves and other sundries.

Just before the bottom of the hill, that nasty ball of fluff that was always sneaking into the surgery came rushing at him, barking. He just knew it would bite him one day. He summoned enough anger to kick out at the dog and continued walking, but the dog circled around him and continued barking. Martin zigzagged, and continued to hurry towards the pharmacy. Although the barking continued, it seemed to remain behind him.

Once inside the pharmacy, Martin waited while Mrs. Tishell finished with another customer. Of course, it dragged on an extra couple of minutes, because the people in this town could not resist gossiping.

When it was finally Martin's turn, as expected, Mrs. Tishell starting flirting with him.

"Hello, Dr. Ellingham," she cooed. "I was wondering if you'd like a cup of tea and we could discuss the latest issue of the MHRA?"

"No," said Martin, instantly, not caring if his answer sounded rehearsed. "I'm in a hurry."

"Oh, that's too bad," she replied. She tried not to sound disappointed, even though his negative answer was expected. "Perhaps another time. How can I help you?"

"Pauline forgot part of my supplies order at lunchtime."

"Yes, yes. She did seem rather in a hurry." Mrs. Tishell now breathlessly hustled to the side counter and retrieved a package, which she then handed to Martin. "I was planning on bringing them to you when I closed. I'm sorry they were forgotten."

She was disappointed that she couldn't have closed sooner to carry out that plan.

Meanwhile, Martin was glad he'd gotten here when he did, knowing full well Mrs. Tishell would have brought the supplies to the surgery.

"Thank you," he said, and turned and headed out the door.

As Martin emerged from the pharmacy, Bert Large called out to him, with a slight urgency to his voice, "Hey, Doc!"

Martin continued down the alley towards Bert, who said, "Old Mrs. Zimmel's hurt her ankle. Twisted, I think. I was leaving the restaurant, saw you near her place, heard that dog barking, but you disappeared 'round the corner. She has ice on it now. Louisa is with her, but I thought you should have a look."

They had continued in the direction of Manor Road. Mrs. Zimmel's cottage was a short distance ahead on the left.

Hearing Louisa's name, Martin was momentarily distracted. He wondered how she had ended up there. Bert had probably called her, no doubt. He always interfered with the most easily led in Portwenn.

They entered the cottage after knocking, and Martin approached Louisa. She was sitting on a coffee table in front of a small couch, on which Mrs. Zimmel reclined. Louisa looked at him and smiled. "Hello, Martin."

"Louisa," he answered, with his usual softness when saying her name. She looked effortlessly beautiful.

"I was actually walking up to see you at the surgery, when Bert came out of here and asked if I could help with her sprained ankle. He was off to find you, and, I see, he did." Louisa had stood while speaking and now indicated that Martin could move to the coffee table to be closer to his patient.

"I'll be off," she said. "Don't want to be in the way."

She and Martin moved past each other in the small parlor, and he caught a whiff of her shampoo, she was so close.

"You don't have to go," he said. He didn't want her to leave.

"It's okay. It's nothing, really. I'll catch up with you another time." Louisa could see his disappointment, but she wanted to be able to talk with him alone.

After Louisa left, Martin tended to Mrs. Zimmel's ankle. It wasn't serious, but she was grateful for his care.

He then walked back up the hill to the surgery to spend another evening alone.

Later, he was at his desk, working on a clock, when someone knocked on his kitchen door. It was Louisa. He smiled slightly as he invited her in.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," she said.

"No, not at all. I was working on a clock."

"I've read how specialised that is. There aren't that many who can get old clocks back in working order. It's a pretty special talent you have."

"I, um, well…" Martin never was good at receiving compliments.

"I'll bet you're good at it, because of your surgical training," Louisa said.

"I hadn't thought of that," he said with a small frown.

Not wanting to bring up any bad memories, Louisa changed the subject.

"I owe you an apology, Martin," she began. "I heard you invite me out for dinner, before all that nastiness with my father and Jonathan, but you have to understand. Whenever my father shows up, I am filled with suspicion."

"And rightly so, it seems," Martin interjected.

Louisa sighed. "Please let me finish. I am not sure you would have spent much time with my father beyond that introduction, if his horrid _friend_ hadn't shown up. It's all my fault…" She trailed off as she went to sit at his kitchen table.

"No, Louisa. You couldn't have known," Martin soothed. He sat next to her.

"But I _did_, Martin, for years. Everyone said he took that money. Everyone. But I wanted to believe him. So, I always let him in, always let him stay. He could have chosen any other harbour, but he knew I'd still make him feel welcome, and he thought he could use that as leverage against the villagers."

Martin had taken her hand as he gently said, "Louisa."

"You know," she said, "I really don't want to think about it anymore. I am done with him, done with that. I came here to accept your invitation, if it's still on offer," she said hopefully.

He quickly answered, "Yes, of course."

"I'm glad," she said, and she got up to leave.

Martin tried to think of a way to get her to stay. "Um, would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you," she answered. "I try not to drink it too late in the day. Even the little bit of caffeine in decaf keeps me awake. Just let me know where and when."

She seemed in a hurry, so Martin reluctantly let her leave. If only he hadn't promised the clock to its owner by the weekend... He never was very good at planning dates.

He locked the door, shut off the kitchen light, and returned to the clock.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Doc Martin and recognizable storylines belong to Buffalo Pictures.

**The Fearless Prince and His Faithful Hound - Chapter 2**

**Tuesday**

Louisa woke up before her alarm, as usual. She knew she would just lie there thinking instead of sleeping a bit longer, but, she thought happily, now she had something to look forward to.

She had hurried out the door and down the hill from Martin's last evening, because she didn't want to push him. And also to avoid any awkwardness, since the last time they'd gotten close he'd ended up calling her a stalker! She also hadn't been feeling her best. She had been uncharacteristically short of breath after walking up Manor Road.

She had kept it secret that she'd heard Martin's invitation, and even now she could picture how sad he had looked when her father interrupted him. But she couldn't have the two of them together just then. She couldn't let her father hear her answer, and then turn around and try to use Martin in his next scheme. She knew she was right to pretend she hadn't heard, because her father had then proved that he hadn't changed. He would always love his daughter, and be affectionate with her, but he would continue to go from con to con.

She hadn't wanted to leave Martin so quickly after she accepted his dinner invitation. Truth is, she wanted someone to commiserate with, and Martin made it easy. Maybe it was because he didn't really talk. He was, however, a very good listener. He never put his own problems over whatever she shared. She suspected his parents were probably worse than her own, but he never talked about them.

He was such a strong man, and so brave. What he'd gone through when Mark Mylow was bitten by a snake, and the way he'd saved Ted, the baker, who had fallen and injured his head. He always made light of his heroics. "I was just doing my job," he'd say. He just didn't get it. He had no idea how she saw him.

Well, she was looking forward to spending time with him. Right now, she was feeling tired. Had been for some days, really. Both her hands and feet were cold, and she had a slight headache. There was only one thing for it. Get up and get ready. She pushed off the alarm setting and headed for the shower.

- oo0oo -

Martin sat up suddenly in bed. He was panting and trying to shake off a bad dream. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and could still picture a blurred vision of a dog's vicious, snapping jaws.

His Aunt Joan had been in the dream. He didn't think she was hurt, but he was definitely frightened for her. He'd had this dream many times over the years. Maybe there was some psychological rubbish about it meaning he was afraid of something in his life, or needed to face that something. But he knew he was just remembering how there used to be a dog about Joan's farm when he would visit as a boy, and how it disappeared after it attacked the chickens.

He clearly remembered the dog trying to get at the chickens, as it barked more and more frantically. He could still feel his own helplessness as the dog relentlessly lunged towards him. He was glad it wasn't around after that.

He got up and stretched a bit before showering. His leg had stopped hurting where it had been caught in the bear trap, but the wound wasn't completely healed yet. He'd also hurt his back slightly when he'd landed awkwardly while going to the aid of the baker. He assessed his healing progress and carried on with his day.

Of course, he thought of Louisa many times during the day. He had been in a much better mood after her visit, and had made a lot of headway with the clock. He still couldn't believe she'd heard his dinner invitation, or that she'd said yes. He thought of a few of the nicer restaurants in the area, but never completely finished planning.

That evening, as he did every Tuesday, Martin drove to the farm to have dinner with his Aunt Joan. It was one of the few allowances he made in his otherwise well-ordered meal schedule. She cooked up comfort food and he allowed himself to enjoy eating.

On this particular Tuesday, they got to talking about a story in the local paper about red fox sightings in Dorset. An earnest reporter had written an article of tips to keep farm animals safe from predators in Cornwall.

Martin thought about the dog dream again and asked, "Auntie Joan, do you remember a dog attack on your chickens when I was a boy? I was glad that dog was put down after that; filthy animals. Did you ever have any troubles since then?"

"Actually, Martin, that was one of the best dogs I have ever known. He wasn't ours, but a neighbour's. He came around when you visited, and I thought you actually liked dogs back then."

Martin frowned, of course, because he didn't remember it that way at all.

"But it was vicious!" he said. "I remember that chicken incident. Still have nightmares, if I'm honest."

"I'm not sure you are remembering it the way it happened, Marty. That dog started up an almighty barking one afternoon, and I knew you were outside, so I got out there as fast as I could. I remember hustling you back to the house, but maybe you hadn't seen what the dog was actually barking at. It was a red fox!"

Martin blinked a few times as he tried to piece together fuzzy images with what his Aunt was telling him. He remembered the chickens squawking desperately, the dog with teeth bared, facing towards him, and his Aunt rushing him into the house. He just always thought of dogs as vicious after that.

Joan continued, "The fox was beyond the chicken coop, so maybe you only saw the dog and chickens. Thankfully, it slunk off before I had to deal with it, and I never saw it again. Come to think of it, you probably never saw the dog again, because that was around the time your father stopped allowing you to visit here."

Both of them silently thought about why that had come about. But Martin didn't let his thoughts fester there.

"The dog was really protecting the chickens?"

"Yes, Martin. Dogs are like that. Not only devoted, but very protective. It was probably trying to get you to go to a safer place."

As they continued eating, Martin thought about the village mutt from the day before. It was possible it had been trying to get his attention to help Mrs. Zimmel.

Rubbish, he thought. Just a coincidence.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Doc Martin and recognizable storylines belong to Buffalo Pictures.

{**Special Disclaimer:** Parts in italics are from Doc Martin, Series 3, Episode 1 "The Apple Doesn't Fall" - written by Richard Stoneham. I have left them in italics to properly credit the author.}

**The Fearless Prince and His Faithful Hound - Chapter 3**

**Wednesday **

Martin took some time before lunch on Wednesday to choose a restaurant. He didn't want to go where they knew people, because they would certainly be interrupted.

Just about any villager found Louisa fair game to talk to about anything and everything. He knew it was because she was the kindest person he'd ever met, but that didn't make it okay with him. At the very least, when they needlessly stopped to talk, why couldn't they just say hello and move on. Or, when necessary, arrange to meet to discuss an issue that needed more time.

Oh, they bothered him, as well, constantly hoping to save a trip to the surgery for on-the-spot medical care. Maybe that's what he liked when he thought about himself with Louisa. They both took care of the people. It was nice to know someone who understood the demands of his profession.

Although he would rather have done his usual, and chosen a restaurant with a top Zagat rating, Martin thought of Louisa as he read a few reviews. He chose one about 20 minutes away in Wadebridge, seemed to be converted from a small church, because both the food and atmosphere were recommended. He made a reservation.

That afternoon, there was a rare bit of time without appointments. A couple of villagers in a row had cancelled, so Martin took the opportunity to go to see Louisa about her fainting incident.

It had happened that morning. He had been walking past the Platt, when children started screaming. Martin had leaped over a bench to get to Louisa quickly. He'd asked her to come to the surgery, but she said she was fine and needed to take the children back to the school. Even though she had agreed to come see him that evening, he decided to take the time now.

Martin entered the school from the street and went down the hall towards Louisa's classroom. As he peered through the door's window, he heard a woman say, "Miss Glasson should be in the schoolyard with her students. Although, come to think of it, she may have left early today. Anyway, that's where the class is." The woman entered another room just down the hall.

Martin entered Louisa's classroom. It was empty, but he thought he might be able to see the schoolyard from the north windows, so he walked over to them. Unfortunately, the view was just angled wrong. He could see the ocean, though, and the turquoise and blue were soothing.

He looked over at Louisa's desk. There was only one item on it, a book, so, with curiosity, he walked over. It was a children's picture book and looked familiar. He recalled seeing it on the ground when Louisa had fainted. He opened it, and silently read,

_"Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, a prince arrived to search for the princess he was destined to marry." _

Martin imagined hearing Louisa's voice as he read. He pictured her as she had looked that morning, beautiful in her pale yellow sweater.

_"The prince was handsome, charming, and fearless. With his faithful hound at his side, the prince journeyed for days on end. He fought dragons, wizards, and goblins. And just when he thought all hope was lost, he finally arrived at the castle where the princess was imprisoned. The prince climbed the hill to free the princess…"_

From the hallway came the sounds of a commotion. Martin heard shouts of "Stop!" and "Bad dog!" and that annoying, shaggy, gray dog burst into the classroom and came right up to Martin. The dog started barking steadily at him, then trotted towards the door, and turned back to Martin. It barked rhythmically again, as it approached Martin, then took a couple of leaps towards the door.

Martin started thinking about Mrs. Zimmel, and this dog from the other day. He thought about the dog from his childhood, and how its barking had been quite meaningful, according to Aunt Joan. He decided to go towards the dog, if not to follow it, at least to lead it from the school.

Martin continued out the door, and down the hall, receiving grateful looks from several teachers, and hearing lots of giggling children. When he got up to Fore Street, the dog continued to bound towards him and away from him. It got particularly frantic when Martin went in the "wrong" direction. Martin just wanted to be sure Louisa wasn't in the schoolyard.

Then he started to follow the dog. Something made him imagine Louisa in trouble, and since the dog was headed in the direction of her cottage, he started to pick up his pace.

- oo0oo –

Louisa had left school early. Her headache had returned by lunchtime, and she was still tired. She thought she'd go home and get some kip before going to see Martin in his surgery.

He had been there when she awoke after fainting that morning, his concerned face assessing her. As she and the children walked back to the school, a couple of them told her about Dr. Ellingham jumping over one of the park benches as he rushed over to her. She smiled. She would have liked to have seen that.

As she walked towards her cottage, the gray mutt that liked to hang around the surgery walked along beside her. He really was a nice dog. She didn't know why Martin disliked dogs so much.

Nearing her front door, she started to feel short of breath again. She opened the door, stepped inside, and closed it. She heard the dog bark, everything went black, and she slumped to the floor.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Doc Martin and recognizable storylines belong to Buffalo Pictures.

**The Fearless Prince and His Faithful Hound - Chapter 4**

**still Wednesday **

When Martin got near White Rose Cottage, the dog ran to the door and jumped against it.

Martin knocked, waited, and found he couldn't wait the conventional amount of time before knocking again, and louder this time. After only 30 seconds, he leaned down and called through the letterbox, "Louisa? Are you home?"

Still no answer, so he looked around for a place a key might be hidden. To his annoyance, he found one under a potted plant. "Bugger!" he said, but he used the key and opened the door.

"Louisa?!" he called, pausing just inside the entrance. "It's Martin. I'm coming in!"

Still no answer, and now the dog snuck by him. "Oh! NO!" he called after it. "Bad dog!" But the dog trotted right up the stairs.

What could he do, but follow? "Louisa?" He paused at the top of the stairs and heard a small groan. He moved towards the sound, saying once more, "Louisa? It's Martin. I'm coming in."

He entered the room at the end of the short hall, and there he saw the dog licking Louisa's face as she lay on the bed.

"Louisa!" He dropped to his knees beside the bed and pushed the dog away, beginning to check her over. She was moving her head, and then she brought her hands to her face as if to wipe the sleep from her eyes.

Next, she opened her eyes and said, "Martin?"

"Yes," he said with relief, "I'm here."

"Did it happen again?" she asked, still coming around. She made to sit up.

Martin stopped her with a hand to her arm. "Please let me examine you first, Louisa."

She stayed still, assessing her own situation. No pain from any limb, or her head. Skirt in a decent position. Meanwhile, Martin took her pulse.

She remembered that morning, coming to in nearly the same manner, with Martin there, like the prince in the storybook.

"I'm okay," she told him. "Nothing hurts."

Martin checked her head anyway. He had his penlight out and checked her eyes.

She continued, "I was just sleeping. Well, okay, I did sort of faint again when I got home. Got really dizzy."

"Did you have anything to eat today?" asked Martin, no longer in doctor mode. He arose and sat on the bed next to her. He took her hand and warmed it between both of his.

"Just tea this morning. I had a headache, so I skipped lunch, then left school early."

"Louisa," began Martin, but she stopped him.

"I know, Martin. I am listening to myself and, of course, I have been foolish. But, to be honest, I have been tired a lot, lately. I looked up symptoms for anaemia…"

He sternly interrupted, "You know you shouldn't rely on the Internet for medical advice."

"Just basic information. I wasn't diagnosing myself, or anything."

"Hm," he uttered, dismissively. He silently thought iron deficiency anaemia was actually likely. Her fatigue, cold hands, dizziness…

"Anyway, I got a home visit. You always come when I need you, Martin. You come to the school, and now you're here. You're like Lancelot, the most faithful of all King Arthur's knights," said Louisa, with admiration.

"Lucan," stated Martin.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Sir Lucan was Arthur's most loyal companion. He was his butler at first, and was with him until he died. He had been fatally wounded, but still tried to help Arthur one more time."

Martin quoted, "For he would have helped me that had more need of help than I." He liked that story, although he hadn't thought about it in years.

"Martin, you surprise me," Louisa said, smiling.

"My Uncle Phil had a copy of Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory. I read most of it the last summer I stayed with Joan at the farm." Martin sighed, and stood up. Louisa sat up.

"I, um, need to return to the surgery," Martin said, with some disappointment. Their time together was always so short.

"Yes," said Louisa, then thought about something. "How did you have the time to come here now?"

"I had two or three cancellations in a row, so I went to the school to see how you were feeling after this morning. That dog caused a ruckus, barking up a storm, and it, well, it led me here."

"Really," said Louisa, wonderingly. "It was with me when I almost fainted when I got home. I heard it barking then."

Martin found that interesting, but he glanced at the time.

"I really do have to go. When can you stop by the surgery? I would like Pauline to take a blood sample."

"Do you mind if I wait until morning?"

"Fine," he said, and paused. "I, um, I made a reservation in Wadebridge for Saturday at 6 PM. Is that alright?"

"Sounds lovely. I look forward to it."

Martin looked at her, and said with concern, "Please get something to eat, Louisa."

"I will, Martin. Sorry for all this bother."

"Not at all," he said, sincerely. He sighed, then turned to go.

He went down the hall, down the stairs, and found the dog waiting by the door. He let it out, and watched it bound away as he headed back to the surgery.

**Note:**

[Martin quoted from Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, a compilation of Romance tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round Table.]


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Doc Martin and recognizable storylines belong to Buffalo Pictures.

**The Fearless Prince and His Faithful Hound - Chapter 5**

**Thursday**

Martin was called out for an "emergency" on Thursday morning. He had immediately realized it was not an emergency at all, and was crossly stomping back to the surgery. He hoped he hadn't missed Louisa.

As he went down Fore Street to where it turned sharply behind the pub, he passed the girl pack, dressed in their usual array of provocative clothing. They were giggling and talking loudly at any poor person who happened to be in their vicinity. Martin scowled as they called out, "Tosser!"

All of a sudden, the gray dog came running towards him, moving so swiftly Martin wasn't even sure beforehand if it was a dog he knew. It was moving in an arc at him, and became airborne and collided with him, forcing him to stagger to his right. A second later, a car hit the dog, sending it at least 10 feet through the air before it landed awkwardly.

Martin was trying to mentally catch up to this flurry of events. He figured the car had been quiet because it was gliding down the hill, and any noise it had made was covered by the loud chatter of the girls. Perhaps the driver was distracted by the girls and drifted towards Martin. Then, he realised with fascination, the dog had pushed him out of the way of the car.

He quickly went to the dog, which was still on its side, but seemed to try a couple of times to get up. Martin laid his hand on the dog's shoulder, not completely sure what to do except what he always did with a patient, assess its injuries.

The young driver was out of his car now, and he moaned, "Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I didn't mean to hit him. I wasn't speeding. Is he okay?"

Martin sternly told him, "Find out the emergency number for the veterinarian and call them immediately!"

A woman stepped forward from the crowd that was now starting to gather, pulling her mobile from her pocket. "I had to call them recently for my old cat," she said. "I have their number right here."

Meanwhile, Martin had discovered the dog's right front leg was possibly fractured. The dog had whimpered as he discovered the injury. He kept his hand on the dog's shoulder and neck.

He asked for a towel, and a blanket, and was soon inundated with a ruler, newspaper, tape, a small pillow, and an extra towel for him to kneel on. He was told Mark Mylow was on his way.

The vet was contacted, and Martin spoke to Dr. Margaret Murphy about the injuries he found. She had actually not gone to her office yet, and lived not ten minutes from Portwenn. They decided Martin could devise a makeshift splint and she would come take the dog to The Veterinary Surgery in Wadebridge, where she worked.

Mark arrived and asked everyone to please stop crowding around. He thought about his afternoon, knowing it probably wouldn't be busy, yet also knowing it probably wasn't his place to transport a dog to a vet. He needed to ask witnesses about the accident and review the young man's driving credentials.

"How is he, Doc?"

"Right front leg might be fractured, muzzle scraped, several cuts and lacerations, breathing a bit rapidly. He seems calm, at the moment. He needs to get to the veterinarian for X-rays. A Dr. Murphy is on the way."

Meanwhile, Louisa was walking down Manor Road from the surgery, after Pauline had taken a blood sample to test for anaemia. She had sadly missed seeing Martin, learning he had gone on an emergency call. Always taking care of everyone, she thought. She really liked that about him.

She was approaching the turn in Fore Street when she started hearing bits and pieces of conversation. Two different bits came through loud and clear, "Doc Martin" and "hit by a car." She suddenly thought her heart had stopped beating.

Louisa hurriedly rounded the corner and saw lots of people all gathered and looking down on something. Martin, who usually stood head and shoulders above most of the townsfolk, was nowhere to be seen, and she prayed that he was helping someone instead of lying in the street needing aid.

She had gotten close enough now to see that Martin was tending to the shaggy, gray dog. As he finished taping some newspaper around the dog's leg, Louisa came up to him.

"What's happened, Martin? Are you okay?"

Martin looked up into her concerned face. He was grateful to have someone honestly care about him.

"I am okay. The dog probably has a fractured leg."

"Can I help you take him to the vet's? I'll drive, and you can keep him still. He seems to trust you. My car is just a block away from here."

"Actually, the vet is on the way. Don't you have to work?" asked Martin.

"No, I took the morning off after yesterday's events. I just came back from the surgery, as a matter of fact. Pauline took the blood sample you asked for."

A car tooted from up the hill, and the crowd obediently parted to make way. Dr. Murphy introduced herself. Martin, still keeping a hand on the dog, explained his findings.

The two seemed completely at ease with each other in this medical discussion. Two other people watched this exchange closely.

Louisa found she was more interested than before in Martin's interactions with other women, especially those with medical training. Mark, although still heartbroken over his recently ended engagement, looked at this new woman with interest.

Dr. Murphy decided to give the dog a mild sedative. Then, the discussion concluded, Martin signaled to Mark. They used one of the donated blankets to get the dog onto the back seat of Dr. Murphy's car. Mark found a moment to introduce himself to her, knowing Martin wouldn't be helpful on that front. He found himself offering to drive ahead of her to use his siren to hasten the trip, but she assured him the sedative would be enough to keep the dog calm, and its care was no longer urgent.

Martin gave her his card, asking her to call with any information, and informing her he would pay for the dog's care and kenneling. Then she drove away.

The crowd started to withdraw, finally, the several eyewitnesses still enjoying their moment in the limelight describing how "the dog saved Doc Martin."

"Is that what happened?" asked Louisa. "Did the dog save your life?'

"Um, I can't say," Martin replied. "He did jump against me and knock me off balance before he was hit."

"That's pretty incredible, don't you think?" she asked.

"Um, yes," he said noncommittally. Truth be told, he had stopped thinking about the dog as Louisa stood before him. She was now his main focus.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, gently.

"Better. I slept well, and have not missed a meal since yesterday."

"Good," he said.

"What happens if I do have anaemia?" she asked, a little anxiously.

Martin explained that iron deficiency anaemia was likely and described the simple course of treatment. Louisa felt somewhat relieved.

Their inevitable parting arrived, each having to climb their respective hills to work.

"I really am glad you're okay," Louisa told him, sincerely.

Martin could feel a bit of warmth spread through him, but he still could only manage to mumble, "Um, yeah. Me, too." He knew it wasn't enough, so he said, "Thank you."

They parted. As she reached the schoolyard gate, Louisa looked across the harbour at the surgery. Martin was just about to climb the steps to the patio. She turned towards the school's doors as Martin stopped and took his turn glancing across the harbour at the school. He watched her enter the school, and the door close behind her. Then he went inside and back to work.

**Note:**

[ The idea for this incident came from a true, recent story about a dog, Geo, saving a 10-year-old boy:

'As they waited at the curb to cross the street, a speeding, out of control driver drove up on the curb, headed straight for Charlie.

According to the family, Geo jumped in front of the boy, pushed him out of the way and was hit by the truck once, and then again, before it drove off.' ]


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** Doc Martin and recognizable storylines belong to Buffalo Pictures.

**The Fearless Prince and His Faithful Hound - Chapter 6**

**still Thursday **

The first call came after lunch. The Western Morning News wanted Martin's first-hand account of the amazing dog heroics. At first he said what he remembered, that the dog seemed to jump at him and that he staggered out of the way of the car as a result. But he didn't want to analyse it, so he told them he was too busy working to talk.

Next, villagers started gathering in the waiting area of the surgery. The first bits of conversation he heard about the accident were from those who had heard about it second- or third-hand, but told the story as if they were among the eyewitnesses. One of them had heard about the dog leading the Doc to Miss Glasson's the previous day, and how it was because she was sick. Yes, she missed work today, and came to see the Doc here at the surgery.

Someone else talked about how the Doc had gone into the woods for Mark Mylow, when he was bitten by a snake, and then how he saved Ted the baker, after he fell off a cliff.

"I can see it now,' said this know-it-all. "'The Doc and the Dog.' They could make a superhero comic strip out of that."

Martin was in the waiting room now, exchanging patient records with Pauline.

"Hey, Doc," said another. "You and that dog could be the new Tintin and Snowy! Although," he paused, "neither of you really looks like 'em…"

"Are any of you actual patients?" Martin asked, sternly. Not one person offered a yes or a no answer. Martin gave Pauline one of his looks and called out, "Next patient!" as he went into his office.

The waiting room soon cleared out, accompanied by grumblings.

The radio station wanted to interview him, Pauline told him as they got tea in the kitchen midafternoon.

"What am I supposed to say?" complained Martin.

"I don't know," Pauline threw back at him. "Tell ME what happened. I DO WORK with you."

Martin sighed and thought about the dog and the car and how the whole thing was really a bit unbelievable.

"I was coming back here. Those girls were being noisy and rude. Then the dog ran at me and jumped at me. Then it was hit by the car."

"That is so COOL, Doc! He SAVED you. And you've always been so MEAN to him."

Pauline was just talking like her usual self, with a stream of consciousness ramble, but those last words bothered Martin. It was true he'd never liked the dog. Any dog, really.

But now he wondered how the dog was doing. He thought about calling, but decided to let Dr. Murphy choose when to call. Of course, she did so while he was in with a patient. It was Pauline who reported that the dog had a simple fracture, so had a cast on and a cone collar to keep him from chewing on it. She said the vet wanted to keep him overnight with mild sedation, so he wouldn't move too much with his bruised side. The vet also said the dog could go home any time after the next morning.

Martin had to be satisfied with that for now.

- oo0oo -

**Friday **

On Friday morning, Martin spoke to the radio station for a few minutes via a telephone interview. He had made it abundantly clear before they started that he would not speak for long, and thankfully they respected that.

Pauline showed him two photos, one of himself, and one of the dog that someone must have given to the paper. They accompanied an article titled, "Dog Saves Doc!" Martin scowled.

People kept stopping by and asking Pauline how the dog was, but her latest information had come from the phone call the previous day.

Martin planned a long lunch, with Pauline's help rearranging a couple of appointments, and drove to Wadebridge. He stopped at a pet shop he had phoned the previous evening on one side of the bridge, then went on to the veterinary surgery on the other side.

He carried a small paper bag into the surgery. He was surprised to see the dog in the waiting area. He surprised himself by reaching out and rubbing the dog's head. It wagged its tail at him, but looked awkward with the cast, and cone collar, and a lead, Martin now saw, being held by a woman he didn't recognise.

Dr. Murphy spotted him and spoke up, "Why, here he is now. Mr. and Mrs. Walford, this is Dr. Ellingham. He is the man Gremlin saved from being hit by a car."

Martin heard "Gremlin" and was momentarily confused. He had so often thought of the dog as a stray.

The couple made a bit of a fuss, making it sound as though their dog was always amazing and as if he would save someone every week if he had the opportunity.

They then thanked him for offering to pay for Gremlin's care, but tried to say Martin didn't have to. Martin cleared his thoughts at this point, though, and said he would like to do something for the dog. He asked that they allow him to pay this bill. The couple looked at each other, and shrugged a tiny bit, and nodded. Then they gratefully accepted his offer.

Within a few minutes, Martin was alone in the surgery with Dr. Murphy.

"I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to call you," she started. "They just showed up a short while ago, and said they'd seen the newspaper and heard the story on the radio. I contacted their vet and he confirmed the dog was theirs. He identified it down to a missing toenail."

Martin tried to take this all in, but basically he just wanted to leave. He couldn't quite describe how her voice now sounded slightly muffled to him. He went through the motions of paying for the bill, then said he needed to get back to work and left.

After half an hour he was back in Portwenn and ready to see his next patient. He was thankfully kept busy for the rest of the day.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** Doc Martin and recognizable storylines belong to Buffalo Pictures.

**The Fearless Prince and His Faithful Hound - Chapter 7**

**still Friday**

Louisa walked down Fore Street. She had spent the previous afternoon listening to, and contributing to, the dog and the car accident story. Every single time she heard any part of the story she found herself thinking, 'It could have been Martin. Martin could be in the hospital.' She realised just how much that thought affected her.

She had used Thursday evening to catch up with schoolwork, then did not sleep as well as she'd hoped. She wanted to blame her potential anaemia, but she knew it was because she was preoccupied.

Not that she and Martin didn't already have spectacularly bad timing, but she was so upset when her father showed up just when Martin had gotten up the nerve to ask her out that she only introduced him as "Dr. Ellingham." She pictured his sad face again.

She remembered the hours spent worrying about him going into the woods for Mark. She distinctly remembered how she felt more upset about Martin than Julie seemed to be for Mark.

She thought about being tied up in Martin's office, facing him. How he looked at her, thinking, scanning the room, and trying to make Jonathan back off without anyone getting hurt. She remembered being worried for Martin, because if Jonathan was going to hurt anyone, it would be the person who could do him the most harm. Sweet Martin, harming someone. Ridiculous.

She'd also worried at the time that Jonathan would figure out how she and Martin felt about each other and use that against them. Thank goodness he didn't notice.

And, oh, how anxious she had felt as he backed up over that cliff. She'd caught his look of longing before he switched back to doctor mode.

Louisa turned the corner now where the accident had occurred. She thought about how scared she'd felt. She picked up her pace a bit, remembering.

This morning she'd heard Martin's short radio interview while buying school supplies from the Pharmacy. The school nurse was part-time at Portwenn and another school, so it wasn't always convenient for her to go to the Pharmacy. As Mrs. Tishell hung on every word, Louisa was thinking about Martin's voice. She liked its tone, and decided to make it her mission to make him laugh.

Back at school, someone had showed her the newspaper article, "Dog Saves Doc!" She shook her head with a knowing smile. 'Oh, he'd hate that,' she thought.

That afternoon she wondered how the dog was doing, and also about her and Martin's upcoming date. As for the former, she had run into Pauline in the grocery, and had heard about the dog being claimed by its owners. She thought this might bother Martin, and she decided she would go see how he was doing.

The date itself had her speculating. 'I was wondering if you might like to have dinner with me?' he'd asked. She wouldn't have minded if he'd meant he'd make dinner for them at his cottage.

Louisa finished climbing Manor Road, walked around to the back of the surgery, and knocked on Martin's kitchen door. She opened it and let herself in. "Martin?" she called.

"Just a minute," he called back.

Martin was working on the clock. He had successfully got it running, and was just making a few minor adjustments, when he heard the knock on the kitchen door. Hearing Louisa's voice, he picked up a mirror and had a look at his teeth.

Louisa noticed a small paper bag on the table. It had unfolded itself open and she glanced inside and could see the leather strap of what looked like a belt. She couldn't resist and pulled the strap out. It was a collar, and it had a stamped metal tag. She read, "Lucan" along with "Martin Ellingham" and the surgery's address and phone number. Her heart broke for him. What a sweet thing he'd done.

Martin entered the kitchen at that moment and saw her with the collar. His mouth opened, but he couldn't think what to say. He sighed and looked sad and embarrassed. She gave him a sympathetic half smile.

"Oh, Martin. I heard from Pauline about the dog's owners showing up." She held up the collar. "Does this mean what I think it means?"

"Well, not anymore," he said, trying to sound dismissive.

"But you were certainly thinking about it, weren't you? I'm so sorry."

She stepped over to him and embraced him, and stayed holding him until he hugged her back. She rubbed his back a couple of swipes and moved back, took his hand and led him to the couch.

She continued holding his hand as she began to speak. "I know you always say you are just doing your job when you help people. But I think you are brave, and to me, you are also faithful. The way that dog protected you, and helped me, too, makes me think of all the things you've done for others. The way you went into the woods for Mark, and over a cliff for Ted."

"Well, I didn't do too well when we were all tied up in my office," Martin said, sadly.

She took his hand in both her own, lifted it, kissed it briefly, and let their hands drop to her lap.

"I know that's because you were overthinking, and that's how you are. You wouldn't just think only of yourself. You needed to be sure we could all be safe if you did something. Besides, you grabbed the gun from Jonathan later."

She reached up and touched his temple, brushing his sideburn and then cupping his face. He leaned his head into her hand.

She continued, "Besides being brave, you took care of that dog and were even thinking of being its owner. I also thought he was a stray, but I guess not. That's a good thing, though, for him. Yeah?"

"Yeah," said Martin.

He sounded so sad, she moved her fingers through his hair to the back of his head. She pulled him to her, kissed his forehead, and hugged him. He embraced her, their heads side by side, as he breathed deeply in and out.

She leaned back, putting her hands on either side of his face, and they kissed. Her kisses comforted him, and she felt so nice in his arms, his hand in her glorious hair. Their kissing slowed, stopped, and she snuggled up to him.

With the warm solidness of him in her arms, she stopped worrying about losing him. With the warm softness of her next to him, he stopped feeling so sad about the dog.

"Louisa?" Martin mumbled.

"Yes, Martin?" she answered, hopefully.

"I don't like you having a key so easily accessible right outside your front door."

"See?" said Louisa. "Always looking out for me. I think I could get very used to that."

THE END


End file.
